Posts made in June 8th, 2017

The old school linear economy is becoming a thing of the past. At one time, everything was make, use, dispose. A new model of thinking is growing and that’s the circular economy, in which we keep resources actively in use for as long as possible, maximizing it’s value in the process. Spoiler alert: It ends with recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of each service life. Few industrial sectors exemplify this better than automotive recycling. Once maligned for sketchy practices, the industry is transitioning into a model of respectability and a leader in environmental thought. With the recent launch of the non-profit organization, End-of-Life Vehicle Sector Council (ELVSC) back in November of last year, a turning point was reached in an industry attempting to redefine and reposition itself in a rapidly changing sector that’s bracing for the future. The ELVSC will play a critical role as it supports the ELV management standard while providing training services to stakeholders in all aspects of ELV management. “It’s a standards-based solution to recycling end-of-life vehicles that we are seeking,” says Steve Fletcher, managing director of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC), an umbrella group of seven associations representing over 400 auto recyclers. He’s also the executive director of 180-member Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA). The ELVSC will also support provincial auto recyclers to meet regulated end-of-life recycling standards adopted by Ontario in March, 2016. Those standards form a critical part of ensuring that vehicles are dismantled with the proper management of hazardous wastes, and will require all Ontario ELV recyclers to prevent discharge of pollutants into the environment. The council is but one solution to a host of changes occurring in an industry that’s currently trying to shed an unfair image of a profession populated with lazy, unscrupulous, self-serving scrapyard wheeler-dealers, hell-bent on chasing their bottom line. And with the introduction of quality control programs, new sophisticated technology, improved training and a host of standards, the industry is packing its bags and moving into the twenty first century. Every year in Canada, approximately 1.6 million vehicles reach the end of their useful lives. Some have crashed. Some have trashed. Put another way, some vehicles have been victimized through accidents; others are simply “done.” Once upon a time these cars were considered scrap and thus disposable. But values change over time and now these former junk heaps are perceived as a major players in the circular economy. That’s due in part to the fact that automobiles are the most recycled consumer product in the world today. They offer enough steel to produce 13 million (!) cars. You may not realize that much recycling happens while your car is still in use, through a process called automotive aftermarket recycling. In fact, about 80 per cent of your car can actually be reused or recycled. In Canada the sector creates thousands of jobs and generates over $1 billion in revenues. In the good ol’ U-S-of-A, auto recycling is the 16th largest industry. It employs over 100,000 people and contributes about $25 billion to the local economy, annually. In Europe, nearly eight million vehicles are recycled every year. Oh, and the environmental benefits shouldn’t be left out of the discussion either. The North American recycling industry saves about 85 million barrels of oil from getting used in making new or replacement auto parts. Automotive recycling is also responsible for contributing about 40% of all ferrous metal to the scrap processing industry. These figures can’t be ignored and their economic and environmental benefits have important ramifications that cut across international borders. Right now, however,...